Theater's future looks bright

NEW YORK — John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team behind some of Broadway's biggest musical hits, can't get a break.

"After everything we've done, all they talk about is revivals," composer Kander says. "Nobody wants to do our new work."

Despite their difficulties launching new material, Kander and lyricist Ebb — who have been working together since 1962 and are the creative forces behind "Cabaret" and "Chicago" — remain optimistic about the future of the theater.

According to Kander, one healthy sign is the eagerness of Hollywood stars to take on theatrical roles.

"A couple of years ago, I was in London and went to see 'Oklahoma!' This guy came onstage singing 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.'

"He was pretty, but not that pretty," says Kander. "He sang well, but not that well. But the whole audience, including me, was in tears. That was Hugh Jackman (now starring on Broadway as Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz").

"What Antonio Banderas did in 'Nine' was serious work.

"These are people who started in the theater," Kander adds. "They want to do theater, but sometimes they have to fight their agents to do it.

"We happened to be visiting at the Donmar Warehouse in London when Nicole Kidman, who also started in the theater, was scheduled to do David Hare's 'The Blue Room.'

"The staff had been on the phone for weeks with Kidman's agents. The day we happened to be there the agents told them Kidman's 'final decision' was she would not do it.

"It was pointed out that she had already been rehearsing for three weeks, and, of course, she did it."

In their new memoir, "Colored Lights" (FS&G, $23), which was co-written with Greg Lawrence, the two reflect on their enduring partnership, beginning with 1965's "Flora, the Red Menace," starring a newcomer named Liza Minnelli.

"During the rehearsals, George Abbott (who wrote the book) put his arms around me," Ebb recalls. "He said, 'You're going to win the Pulitzer Prize.'

"In fact, it was a flop. Read my lips — FLOP! But a week after it opened we started working with Hal Prince on 'Cabaret.' "

"Cabaret" opened on Broadway in 1966 and ran for 1,166 performances. A revival ended its run Sunday, after six years and 2,378 curtain calls.

Last month, the team — who have the longest-running partnership in Broadway history — were anointed by the city's Landmark Conservancy as a Living Landmark.